Chris Arreola was as good as they have got for a while, but America's search for its next heavyweight star went the same way as the rest of them.

Arreola, a clever, tough, combative fighter who had racked up a 26-fight winning streak, including fine wins over Jameel McCline and Chazz Witherspoon, was simply outclassed by Vitali Klitschko.

Outclassed to the extent that both his manager and promoter agreed there was nothing else for it but to withdraw the battered and well-beaten Arreola on his stool at the end of the 10th round.

With the 28-year-old Arreola's demise came another chapter in the tough and tedious tale of the starry, stripy search for someone capable of restoring the richest prize in sport to the United States.

Since the heady days of Mike Tyson and Evander Holyfield, the best States has come up with is a succession of bit-part champions: little-known, ponderous and ripe for a punishing defeat by the latest up-and-coming eastern European.

Chris Byrd, John Ruiz, Hasim Rahman, Shannon Briggs, Lamon Brewster - all have held a version of the title to little effect, while a generation of so-called next big things have floundered at or before the final hurdle.

Today's heavyweight rankings project as damning an indictment of the American heavyweight scene as they have at arguably any point in history, with few even now being touted as potential successors to Holyfield and co.

Top-rated remains Philadelphian 27-year-old 'Fast' Eddie Chambers, a slick, light-punching fighter who has rebounded from a gateway loss to Alexander Povetkin in early 2008 to score a couple of notable wins.

Still, Chambers is hardly the type to have the Klitschkos quaking in their boots - nor, certainly, are Tony Thompson or Ray Austin, who have tried and failed, Hasim Rahman, who is faded, and Witherspoon, who has fallen short.

Below, Jason Estrada is another whose progress was stopped by Povetkin, while Kevin Johnson, Tye Fields and Malik Scott all boast paper records far more impressive than their actual achievements.

Perhaps it remains a sad reflection on the paucity of emerging talent that the Americans' best hope remains the man who has just suffered such a painful beating at the hands of Klitschko.

Arreola showed plenty in his performance to suggest that while he remains a long way off true world champion class, he has the raw tools and the relatively youthful age to come again.

For the all-conquering Klitschko, of course, it is in his interests to talk up vanquished opponents if only to seek to add gloss to victories which he is danger of making look too one-sided.

But what he said about Arreola after their fight on Saturday night suggests the Ukrainian truly believes the big-punching LA star - who had, after all, stopped 24 of his previous 27 opponents - has what it takes.

Klitschko said: "Arreola has everything it takes to be a champion. Big heart, big punch. He always moved forward. But he doesn't have experience. Experience is important in life, no matter what you do."

Of course, such words came as no comfort for Arreola, who was in tears at the time of the stoppage, and admitted: "This is a bitter taste. I want to get back in the ring and get rid of it."

Arreola acknowledged Klitschko's superiority and will head back to the drawing board, but it would no surprise to see the likeable challenger gain a few more notable wins before re-emerging as a world title opponent.

The division needs him. It is already holding its breath for a David Haye win over Nikolai Valuev and with it the badly-needed introduction of a new brash, big-punching star of the type the US can only dream of.

The Klitschkos, for all their obvious dominance of the division, have provided their current division with one insurmountable flaw: the inability for the division's top two champions to ever tee off.

All of which leaves it up to the rest of the world to come up with a challenger capable of elbowing their way past the brotherly success. For the time being at least, the best it can come up with is not enough.